A Sunflower Cannot Hide Forever
by Canadaslighter
Summary: Fem! Canada Madeline ran away, leaving her friends and family wondering what on earth had happened the night before she left. A year later, Gilbert finds her. But if he's found her, who else has?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi! Canadaslighter here. It's been a while, sorry for the long delay. A lot has happened. 2 funerals, exams, operations and hospitals; it's been a rough time. Sorry again.**_

 _ **This is something I wrote a while ago that I really liked, but I was never sure where to go with it. I think I've found it now. I'm still writing 'Codename: Canada', that's something I've been planning for a while. I'll try to do bi-weekly updates for both stories, alternating the updates. It all depends on my school load, last year before Uni and all :/**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope this is okay :) Reviews will make my day, and I will probably tell my mother and dance. I'm that sad XD**_

It had been such a long day, she thought, as she trudged home. It was past 2am, 2 hours after the supposed end of shift but of course, if a client wanted to stay she had to keep the bar open. And the thick browed Brit had decided today was the best day to get drunk. After having escorted a crying Arthur to a taxi ( _Madeline…why did he leave me…Madeline, am I Protestant or Catholic…Madeline_ ) she got to collect her tips for the night and leave.

The thought of the warm stew she had set up that morning was the only thing that kept her walking, the sleep built up in the corner of her eyes. The street was dark, the street lights few and most of them off in an effort to save money. Maddie dipped in and out of cones of light, keeping her steps quick and quick, with an ear open for any footsteps behind her. She was always aware, no matter how tired she was, of her surroundings when walking alone after last year. She shuddered at the thought and fastened her pace.

~()~

She reached her small home soon after, smiling at the familiar white trim. It was a marvel she could afford such a place but she loved it, slowly but surely turning it into her dream home. Her life was so much better, she reflected, focusing on the keys in her hands as she opened the door. The smell of meat and gravy hit her, warm and inviting as she stepped inside. The keys were dropped lightly into the stained glass bowl on the table, shoes deposited in the shoe rack and coat hung up. She fell into the plush sofa, feeling the muscles in her shoulders relaxing as she leaned back, eyes closed.

It was bliss.

~()~

Life continued like this for months, the days blurring together now that she was used to this new routine. She found her mind wondering back to Alfred and Francis, to Antonio and Lovina, to the others, but she never called. How could she, after what had happened? Bar that, her life was a close to perfect as she thought it could be, hopes once again building for a somewhat normal life.

Of course it wouldn't last. She only realised this when she stared up into red eyes. That familiar cocky grin spread out across the face she wanted to touch but Madeline just drowned in the sight of him. He stepped forward, arm reaching out to grab her, to make sure she didn't run again.

The next moment she was lost in the crowd of people, ignoring the cries of Birdie behind her, holding back the emotions she thought she had given up on long ago.

~()~

It was all ruined now. He'd found her, and that meant he'd tell the others, who would definitely come. She'd left too suddenly for them to do anything but, so she supposed it was her fault. Just like last time.

Alfred's worried yells echoed through her mind as she lay in bed, the thick duvet forming a protective shield against the world. Her brother had banged at her old door, shouting to be let in, to be told what had made his baby sister run home mid panic attack. But Madeline had not opened the door, and Alfred had never found out, and now Maddie was crying alone once again.

The sight from 3 years ago was still burned in her head, the red that just happened to match her favourite hoodie, and that cold smile. That face that made her sick, those words that she had to translate to understand.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past; no, now was the time to plan. Now was the time to figure what the hell she was going to do now that they would all be coming. It would be stupid to hope that he would not follow their trail, leading him straight to her.

Who knows, maybe he was already here.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hi, Canadaslighter here. Enjoy the story._**

It had been 2 days since he'd seen her. She'd wanted called in sick, to bury herself in her mounds of blankets as if they would save her but she needed the money. So she pulled herself out of bed and went through her motions.

Yet everything felt different.

The white carpets were too soft, her feet sinking too far into them and the blue walls made her feel like she was drowning. The coffee machine was too loud, sending her jumping when it poured. Madeline wanted to cry but she didn't have time. She had her first shift of the day at the local pet shop, and then a quick lunch. A rush across town sent her to the small café where the owners always gave cakes to take home (sweets for the sweet), and finally to the bar. It was hell, but it had been worth it; she was buying out the owner. However today she was terrified.

Were the others in town? Would they see her? Would they want to after how she ran?

She didn't want to know, and left her home.

~()~

The pet store was quieter than usual, leaving her time to sit with the dogs rather than standing at the counter. She sunk into large dogs, warm tongues lapping at her face and grinning as memories of Kuma washed over her. Would Al being looking after Kuma? She hoped so.

There was one dog, huge and fluffy, that had curled up on her lap when the bell on the door rang. She squeaked, trying to get up when she heard a familiar voice.

"Alright Kuma! Jeez, I'll get you those treats just stop pulling!"

"Shit!" She exclaimed, trying to bury herself in the pile of dogs. She looked ridiculous, and she knew her co-workers were staring but Alfred couldn't see her. That would ruin every even more.

A paw hit her face and she winced, her lap occupied by the biggest dog. Footsteps came close and then stopped.

"Um…dudette? Do you need a hand…? Or is this like a store reward? I mean everyone loves pups, don't get me wr- KUMA!"

That was the only warning she got when her 200 pound white god knows what kind of dog launched himself onto the small amount of chest she had free. The air rushed out of her, but the other dogs moved as she was thoroughly licked. Huge paws fell onto her shoulders as happy whines filled the room.

She sat up, manoeuvring Kuma carefully before rubbing his ears. She'd missed him. He was thoroughly snuggled up to her, almost as if he was going hold her there forever.

Madeline looked up, hands still buried in Kuma's fur to meet shocked blue eyes. Her older brother was gaping at her, hand still holding the broken end of a leash.

"Maddie?"

"Shit."

"Don't swear it's against store policy."

~()~

Alfred was stuck to her like a limpet. As soon as he had extracted her from Kuma (who was now trying to stay between her legs as they walked) he'd taken her hand in his and not let go. At all.

So she was now being dragged to the house he and the others were renting. Madeline couldn't believe it, how did they get here so fast? Alfred was talking a hundred words a minutes as he jogged, saying how much she'd been miss and how she'd have to explain everything.

And Madeline hadn't said a word. Just let herself be pulled along in a state of shock.

It was only when she reached the door that she realised but it was too late. Alfred pushed her into the house.

Lovina was cutting tomatoes in the kitchen, with Antonio sitting on the counter next her. His legs were swinging, ignoring the knife that was brandished at him when he stole tomato slices. He fell off the worktop when he saw Maddie in the doorway.

"Maddie?!"

 _ **Reviews make my day~**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sup, Canadaslighter here. Sorry for the wait, a lot of stuffs happened recently. It's in Codename: Canada, if you wanna read about why. Sorry again, and sorry for the short chapter. I'll try and write more soon.**_

 _ **I'm not to sure about this story. I don't really want to leave it open ended, but I don't know.**_

 _ **But anyway, enjoy.**_

Gilbert

He'd gone back to the mall every day. He'd searched high and low, holding her photo and asking anyone who would listen and still getting nowhere. But she'd been here, and this was closer than they'd been for nearly two years so there was no way in hell that he would give up.

The mall had closed, and he was walking through the doorway into the house he just couldn't call home when he heard it. Her voice. His backpack fell to the floor next to him and he didn't even bother to shut the door as he sprinted into the living room.

She was sitting there, surrounded by their family, with a cup of lemon tea. The normality of the moment floored him, his hand clenched around the white wood of the archway as he panted. His heart was beating a mile a minute, he was staring, but he didn't care. Madeline was sitting there, was right in front of him after four years.

"Birdie?"

He couldn't quite believe it. The albino took a hesitant step forward, not daring to look away as if she might vanish if he did. Eliza smiled softly at him, pulling a reluctant Alfred away from the blonde. Her brother held her hand for as long as he could, squeezing it before letting himself be led away. Everyone else followed. Ludwig rested a hand on his shoulder, the last one to leave.

Gilbert moved faster, until he sank to his knees in front of the woman he loved. She was shaking, the cup in her hands nearly spilling. He took it, careful not to touch her as he did so, and set it on the side table. She pulled herself closer, almost as though to protect herself.

He touched her arm first, gasping when he made contact. Tears welled up in her eyes but she let him keep his hand there. He moved it up, to cup her face, and the tears fell. She threw herself into him, pushing his back to the floor but he didn't care. He wrapped her up in his arms, whispering her name again and again, trying to convince himself she was real.

It had been four years since she'd vanished in the night, the girl that put him back together after his dad died, and now here they were.

She had stopped crying, preferring to just rest her face on his chest. His fingers carded through her hair, the memory of the soft strands coming back to the forefront of his mind. She smelt different, more of smoke and alcohol than before but the scent of Kuma was still thick.

"Birdie," He almost breathed her name again, closing his eyes. "Birdie, what happened?"

She was crying again. Why did she keep crying?

Why couldn't he stop her crying?


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi guys. Sorry for the delay, again. I quite bad at this :( School was rough. It's my last year, and it's been 6 weeks. I've had a panic attack and a break down in a park. Not the best start XD So yeah, I haven't had much time, but I'm on break now :D Should be doing an essay right now but... I needed to do this. I hope this okay.**_

 _ **And wow, thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. I've been feeling pretty down lately, but I kept rereading the reviews and that really helped. Thank you so much 3**_

Alfred

He was slumped on the porch steps, head in hands while the others quietly spoke. It was still shocking to have her back, and as much as he knew Gil loved her, so did he. His chest was aching every second she wasn't in his sight; anything could happen to her. Like it did when she'd left.

He was crying before he even realised it. Warm tears fell onto the white stairs, shoulders shaking. Antonio wrapped an arm around him carefully, whispering in Spanish. Alfred never knew what he said, but it calmed him. The others soon joined, all curled up outside the house.

Maddie was safe. Maddie was back. Maddie was literally less than 20 feet away for the first time in four years.

"Um…. Excuse me?"

They all looked up to see two familiar figures.

Maddie

Gil still didn't seem convinced she was here. He ran his fingers all over her, hands trembling, and pressed soft kisses to her eyes and cheeks. He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in.

"Gott, I missed you…I-if you can't tell me now, fine. Just- just stay. Please," he whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear. Gone were the days when she'd wondered if he even knew how to be quiet.

His lips ran over her throat, warm and chapped, and she couldn't help but shiver. She felt him smile, and his hands gently pushed her head back so he could press more kisses to her neck. The others must have closed the door as it was quiet, just the sound of breathing and an old clock on the mantle.

Gilbert nipped at a sensitive spot, sucking it as she let out a little moan. She pulled him closer, tilting her head back further.

"Uh…"

Alfred was standing in the archway, redder than her hoodie and covering his eyes. Maddie hurriedly pushed the albino away from her neck, blushing as he smirked at what she knew was a very apparent hickey.

"Al-Alfred! I- Sorry…"

"S'fine… but please don't…not on the sofa bro," he cringed slightly, pointedly keeping his eyes away from her neck. "Anyway, they finally got here."

"Wait, really? Bit fucking late, I mean she's here already," Gilbert stood, pulling Maddie to her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist. "But he helped us a lot, I guess."

"I know. I hate to admit but the Commies really did help…"

Alfred kept speaking but Madeline didn't hear any of it. Everything had faded to just the sound of her heartbeat in her ears and rush of her breath. And then it was four years ago all over again. The body in the alley, the bloody pipe, the smile that she could barely call one.

" _Hello Sunflower,"_ He had seen her as she watched in shock, his pipe hitting the moaning boy, " _Wait a moment, I will be finished shortly. I'm teaching right now. You can't touch what's not yours."_

He'd pulled the boy to his feet by the collar of his now red shirt.

" _And she's mine. Right Sunflower?"_

Maddie bolted, ripping herself from Gil's grasp, ignoring his startled cry. Alfred made to grab her but she avoided him, crashing into the crowd of people in the hall. She pushed her way through, pulling away from familiar hands and worried voices. She had to get out.

The next thing she knew her wrist was in a vice like grip, holding her with such force that she stumbled.

"Are you alright, Sunflower?"


End file.
